Rangers Reaction: Big Sexy's historic win

Bartolo Colon ties Juan Marichal's Dominican wins record

Rangers pitcher Bartolo Colon tied Juan Marichal with his 243rd career win Wednesday night, the most by a native of the Dominican Republic.
By

Up Next

Rangers pitcher Bartolo Colon tied Juan Marichal with his 243rd career win Wednesday night, the most by a native of the Dominican Republic.
By

It took him three starts but Bartolo Colon finally got it. The Rangers' 45-year-old starting pitcher tied Juan Marichal with his 243rd career win Wednesday night. They're tied for the most wins by a Dominican Republic native. Two more wins and Colon will tie Dennis Martinez for the most wins by a Latin American born pitcher. That's some historic stuff and was an emotional moment for the usually ultra relaxed veteran.

"Yeah, of course. I tied this mark with a Hall of Famer so I feel very proud and honored to do that," said Colon after improving to 3-3. He held Oakland to two runs on six hits over five innings. "It means a lot because he’s Dominican. He was the first guy from the Dominican to become a Hall of Famer.

Colon said he'll give the ball on the final out in the ninth to his father. His dad gets all the important balls from his career, which is slowly creeping into Hall of Fame territory. The milestones may be on his mind, but trying to prove his Hall of Fame bona fides isn't, he said.

"No, no, no … I never think about that. I just do this for me and my family," he said. "Yeah, the milestones are very important. That’s why I keep playing. It’s not the money. It’s something I’m trying to fulfill and make these goals."

Five quick hits from Wednesday's 8-2 win:

1. Profar and away —Jurickson Profar hit two home runs for the first time in his career and knocked in a career-best five runs. Profar was hitting in the cleanup spot for the second time this season. He's just the second Rangers' shortstop to a have two-homer game in the cleanup spot. Toby Harrah did at Milwaukie in May 1976. Profar already has tied his season-high with six homers, which he also had over 85 games in 2013. He's played 57 games in '18.

2. Sexy Colon — In eight of his 11 starts so far this season, Colon has given Texas a good chance to win. After a couple of shaky recent outings, his velocity was up a tick and it served him well while working out of numerous jams.

"It's unbelievable. I'm lucky to be a part of what he’s doing. It’s a pleasure for me, and I know for my teammates as well," Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos said of Colon's historic win. "It kind of seemed like it was a regular win for him. He was relaxed, and not even too excited, but I know when he finished in the fifth, he told me 'Can you save that baseball after the game? Save that last out and bring it to me?’, and Tony (Barnette) gave it to him."

Unlimited Digital Access: Only $0.99 For Your First Month

3. Choo keeps chugging — Shin-Soo Choo led off the bottom of the first with a walk to extend his on-base streak to 22 games, the longest active streak in the majors. The last time a Texas hitter had a longer streak was Robinson Chirinos from Aug. 8 to Sept. 16 last year. Choo has 21 walks in his last 18 games.

4. Back to back — The consecutive homers by Profar and Joey Gallo in the first inning was the third time the Rangers have done it this season. The Rangers hit nine homers in the two-game series and had four or more homers in consecutive games for the first time since June 29-30, 2015 against the Orioles.

5. Enough already — The A's slugger just loves facing the Rangers. His two-run homer in the fifth was Oakland's only offense Wednesday night. Davis has 11 homers in 23 career games at Globe Life Park. He's tied with Albert Pujols and George Springer for most by an opponent since the start of the 2013 season. He also homered Tuesday. His 21 homers against Texas are his most against any one opponent. He has a career 1.142 career OPS in 46 career games against the Rangers. That's khrazy.